Adjustable beds for burial caskets



June 2 1959 w k, NELSON 2,888,732

- ADJUSTABLE BEDS FOR BURIAL GASKETS Filed Nov 7,1957

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

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United States. Patent 2,888,732 ADJUSTABLE BEDS FOR BURIAL CASKETS Walter K. Nelson, Pittsburgh, Pa. Application November 7, 1957, Serial No. 695,092 2 'Claims. (Cl. 27-12) This invention relates to new and useful improvements in adjustable beds for burial caskets, and it is among the objects thereof to provide a mounting for such beds which shall be adjustable in a vertical direction to raise and lower the same and which shall also be adjustable to tilt the bed in either its raised or lowered position. The invention is particularly adapted for use on sealer couch type caskets where a portion of the cover or lid is raised and the body is exposed for viewing. By means of the adjustable bed mechanism herein provided, the body may be positioned in a manner most suited to a couch type casket.

The invention will become more apparent from a consideration of the accompanying drawings constituting a part hereof in which like reference characters designate like parts and in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of an adjusting mechanism for a casket bed embodying the principles of this invention;

Figure 2 is a .similar view showing the mechanism in its elevated position with the bed adjusted to be inclined;

Figure 3 is a side elevational view, partially in crosssection, of the bed mounting and adjusting mechanism and a portion of the casket in which it is mounted;

Figure 4 is a front elevational view of the bed adjusting mechanism in its lowered position;

Figure 5 is a similar view with angular adjustment of the bed;

Figure 6, an isometric view of a casket showing the adjusting mechanism at both ends; and,

Figure 7 is a front elevational view of a modified form of bed adjusting mechanism for use at the foot end of the casket.

With reference to Figures 1, 2 and 3 of the drawing, the numeral 1 generally designates the outline or body of a casket, the construction and design of which constitutes no part of the present invention. One end of the casket wall is shown at 2 in Figure 3 of the drawing, and the rim portion 3 having a groove 4 for receiving a sealer is extended and curved downwardly to form a flange 5 for receiving the top angle bracket 6 of the bed mounting and adjusting mechanism. Journaled in the bracket 6 is a screw shaft 7 having a socket portion 8 for receiving a crank shaft 9 operated by a hand crank shown in dotted lines at 10, the hand crank and shaft 9 being removable for obvious reasons.

The bottom part of the screw shaft 7 is disposed in a bearing 11 that is attached to a cross frame 12 secured to the base or floor 13 of the casket. The member 11 is not threaded and merely journals the shaft 7, the threads of which interact with the threaded flanges 14 and 15 of a U-shaped bracket 16 having a cross frame 17 with ears 17a on which the frame 18 of the casket bed is mounted, as shown in Figure 3, the bed being provided with the conventional springs 18a for holding the mattress on which the body is supported.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the cross frame 17 is pivotally connected at 19 and 20 by links 21 and 22, a

cross link 23 and links 24 and 25, to a bar 26 which is disposed through a bracket 27 to which it is pivotally; connected at28. The bar 26 may be tiltedby means of a screw mechanism consisting of a screw 29 having a socket 30 for receiving a crank like crank 10, thescrewbeing disposed in a threaded nut 31 that is fixed to the. bar 26, so that when the screw 29 is turned, the bar 26 will tilt in the manner shown in Figure 2 of the drawings. Links 21 and 22 and 24 and 25 are pivotally connected to the cross link 23 at 32 and 33 and to the cross arm or bar 26 at 34 and 35.

The bed frame 17 is pivotally connected to the U-shape bracket 16 at 36, as shown in Figures 1 and 3.

In Figure 6, the same bed adjusting mechanism is shown at both the head and foot end of the casket and they are individually operable by the hand cranks inserted in the socket elements 8 and 30 respectively. In the position shown in Figure 6, the casket bed is in its lowermost position and is not tilted. In Figure 1, the bed is elevated to its highest position and is not tilted. In Figure 2, the bed is both elevated and tilted, the tilting being exaggerated for illustration purposes. In Figure 4, the bed is in its lower position and not tilted, while in Figure 5 it is in its lower position and tilted. The raising and lowering as previously explained is eflected through the screw mechanism by rotating shaft 7 and the tilting through the screw mechanism by rotating the screw 29.

In Figure 7, the modified form of mount consists of a screw 37 journaled in a bracket 38 and having screw thread engagement with the flanges 39 and 40 of a U- shape bracket similar to the bracket 16 on which one end, that is the foot end of the bed, is mounted. In this construction, the adjusting mechanism of Figures 1, 2 and 3 is used on the head end as shown at the left-hand end of Figure 6, while the modified form of Figure 7 is used on the foot end as shown at the right-hand side of the casket of Figure 6. By means of this construction, only the head end of the bed is tilted when it has been moved to its adjusted position, while the foot end may be raised and lowered but is not tilted for the reason that only the head end of the body is exposed for viewing and needs to be tilted. This modified construction eliminates some of the parts for the adjustable ends, thereby reducing the cost of the adjustable bed.

By means of the above-described bed mounting and adjusting mechanism, a body may be placed in a couchtype casket and readily positioned to be viewable in a pleasant and realistic manner, the couch-type casket exposing a substantial portion of the head and upper portion of the body. By means of the above-described adjusting mechanism, such positioning of the body is accomplished in an inexpensive and efficient manner by lightweight and durable mechanism which is especially adapted to the metal type casket body currently in common use.

Although several embodiments of the invention have been herein illustrated and described, it will be evident to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made in the details of construction without departing from the principles herein set forth.

I claim:

1. A combined elevating and tilting mechanism for beds in burial caskets comprising a screw shaft mounted for rotation at one end of a casket, said shaft extending through a fixed bracket at the top and having threaded engagement with a movable bracket, a cross-bar pivotally mounted on said movable bracket and having means for engaging and supporting an end of a bed and a second cross-bar pivotally mounted on said fixed bracket, an adjusting screw journaled above said second cross-bar and having threaded engagement with said bar on one side "of its pivotal connection with the fixed bracket to tilt the'bar'and-spaced toggle links connectingsaid cross bars, said toggle links having a connecting link to elfect tilting of both cross-bars simultaneously to tilt the bed.

2. A combined elevating and tilting mechanism for beds inburial-caskets comprising 'ascrew shaft journaled incross frames'at-the top and bottom at one en'do'f a casket, a bracket having threaded engagement'with said shaft and having a cross-bar pivotally mounted thereon, s'aid bar-having means forengaging and supporting a bed to raise and lower the bed by rotation of said shaft, a fixed bracket at the'top of said screw shaft, a second cross-bar pivotallymounted on said fixed bracket, said second cross-bar having a theaded portion at one side of its pivotal mount, an adjustingscrew journaled for rotation above said second cross-bar and engaging said threaded portion to tilt said bar, spaced toggle links connecting said cross-bars and a connecting link for said toggle links to tilt both cross-bars simultaneously to tilt the bed.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,670,517 Hillenbrand et a1. Mar. 2, 1954 

